An evening train on the Baltimore and Ohio, July 1963.
(Lawrence and David Barera, cropped, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
NIGHT EXPRESS (B&O)
Not to be confused with the train operated by the Monon Railroad, also known as Night Express.
The Night Express was an American named train of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) on its route between Detroit, Michigan, and Louisville, Kentucky, with major station stops in Toledo, Ohio, and Cincinnati. The service was numbered Train 57 southbound and Train 58 northbound. The numbers 57/58 operated on the Detroit - Cincinnati line as early as 1921. The service was provided in conjunction with the Pere Marquette Railroad (and later, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway) from Detroit to Toledo and with the Louisville and Nashville from Cincinnati to Louisville with connections to New Orleans.
The train went unnamed until 1960 when the B&O gave the name Night Express to the 57/58 Detroit-Louisville itinerary. By 1963, the southern terminus of the train route was shortened to Cincinnati's Union Terminal.
The Night Express had its Detroit beginning point in the New York Central's Michigan Central Station in Detroit 1963, when the B&O and the C&O merged and the B&O moved it to the Fort Street Union Depot in Detroit.
With the September 1967 schedule, the B&O dropped the train from service.
Route of the B&O Railroad's Night Express (in red).
(Argos'Dad, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
Stations
| Station | State |
|---|---|
| Detroit (Michigan Central Station) | Michigan |
| Toledo (Central Union Terminal) | Ohio |
| Deshler | Ohio |
| Dayton (Union Station) | Ohio |
| Cincinnati (Union Terminal) | Ohio |
| Louisville (Central Station) | Kentucky |
Schedule and equipment
In 1947, southbound Night Express Train No. 57 operated on the following schedule (departure times at principal stops shown):
| City | Departure Time |
|---|---|
| Detroit (Michigan Central Station) | 11:50 p.m. (via Pere Marquette Railway) |
| Toledo, Ohio (Central Union Terminal) | 1:25 a.m. |
| Deshler, Ohio | 2:20 a.m. |
| Lima, Ohio (PRR station) | 3:15 a.m. |
| Dayton, Ohio (Union Station) | 5:13 a.m. |
| Cincinnati (Union Terminal) | 8:40 a.m. |
| Louisville, Ky. (Central Station) | 9:55 a.m. (via Louisville and Nashville Railway) |
Source: Baltimore and Ohio System Timetable, July 6, 1947
In the 1940s, the southbound Night Express consisted of two or three head-end cars, an RPO baggage car, 12 sleepers. Between Cincinnati and Louisville there was a dining-lounge car.
Night Express Overview
Service type: Inter-city rail
Status: Discontinued
Locale: Mid-West
First service: 1960 (c.1921 as unnamed train)
Last service: 1967
Former operator: Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Route Termini: Detroit, Michigan / Louisville, Kentucky
Distance traveled: 257.5 miles (414.4 km) (1960)
Service frequency: Daily
Train numbers: 57 (southbound), 58 (northbound)
On-board services
Seating arrangements: Reclining seat coach
Sleeping arrangements: Roomettes, double bedrooms (1960)
Catering facilities: Snack-lounge car